News Release

Writing Project to observe National Writing Day

October 15, 2009

The Capital Area Writing Project (CAWP) at Penn State Harrisburg has scheduled a number of public events in observance of National Writing Day.

Created by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) "to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft," the National Day on Writing will be celebrated in a number of ways.

On Sunday, Oct. 18, CAWP will host a writing marathon at Fort Hunter Park, Harrisburg, from 1:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., rain or shine.  Participants are asked to meet in front of the Fort Hunter Mansion to form groups and receive maps and instructions. A writing marathon is the act of writing with a small group of people who discover new areas for penning their thoughts. It is sitting and writing for a certain amount of time, sharing your piece with your group, and moving to a new location where you repeat the process together.

On Thursday, Oct. 22, CAWP presents WordFest 2009: A Celebration of Writing and the Teaching of Writing at the Capital Area Intermediate Unit, 55 Miller St. in Summerdale. Scheduled for 5:00 to 8:30 p.m., this conference is free and open to all educators and friends of writing.

An evening conference, WordFest 2009 celebrates writers and teachers helping others as they write and teach writing.  In collaboration with the Capital Area Intermediate Unit, CAWP offers WordFest participants three Act 48 Hours for a $30 fee if they choose to earn continuing education credit. Attendees may select two different workshops from a choice of eight interactive sessions presented by National Writing Project Fellows. Registration and welcoming remarks begin at 5:00 p.m. in the Susquehanna Room at the Capital Area Intermediate Unit.

Presenters will offer workshops about engaging and re-energizing young writers with genre papers; enabling students to become better thinkers and learners through their writing; utilizing quality peer review for students to revise their work; teaching primary students to write with a purpose; providing authentic writing assignments while including correct grammatical links; helping students find beauty in their everyday lives; and using role play so that students can physically retell their stories and discover ways to improve them.

WordFest is free. To receive Act 48 Hours for your attendance, please visit the Professional Development section of the Capital Area Intermediate Unit’s website at www.caiu.org or call the CAIU at 717-732-8400 x 8168. For more information, contact the Capital Area Writing Project at 717-948-6657 or 717-948-6383 or visit CAWP’s website at http://citl.hbg.psu/cawp/.